1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to oil reservoirs for vehicle transmissions, and more particularly to those having an in-pan filter.
2. Related Art
Vehicular transmissions are typically equipped with an oil reservoir which includes an oil pan mounted at the bottom of the transmission to serve as a reservoir for lubricating oil. It is common also to incorporate within the interior of the oil pan a filter for cleaning the oil in the reservoir before being drawn back into the transmission. In some applications, the filter is provided as a separate, self-contained module having a filter medium encased by a filter housing which is supported off the floor of the pan. Replacement of a spent filter medium requires replacement of the entire module, including the housing. Other known constructions use the floor of the pan as the lower half of the filter housing and fix a cover permanently to the wall of the pan, with the filter medium being trapped between the cover and floor. In this arrangement, the filter medium is permanently attached to the cover and pan and is thus not replaceable without replacement of the entire oil pan. In both constructions, the upper housing portion or cover is fitted with an integrated flow tube which couples to a transmission oil pump for drawing filtered oil from beneath the cover into the transmission. Both the cover and pan are known to be made of plastics material.
It is an object of the present invention to simplify the construction and maintenance of the filter system for such oil reservoirs.
An oil reservoir according to the invention includes an oil pan, a cover mountable to the pan, and an oil filter cartridge formed separately from the pan and cover and supported in such manner between the cover and pan so as to be separable and removable therefrom to facilitate replacement of the filter cartridge without having to remove the cover from the pan.
According to another aspect of the invention, an oil reservoir is provided having an oil pan, a cover, and filter cartridge, wherein the cover is secured with a snap-fit connection to the pan and supports the filter cartridge releasably between the cover and pan in such manner as to enable separation and removal of the filter cartridge for replacement and/or installation without removal of the cover from the pan.
The invention further contemplates a method of manufacturing an oil reservoir including forming an oil pan, cover, and filter cartridge separately from one another, and securing the cover and filter cartridge to the pan in such manner that the cartridge is separable and removable for facilitating replacement of the cartridge without removing the cover from the pan.
The invention has the advantage of providing a oil reservoir of simple construction.
The invention has a further advantage of providing a reservoir having a replaceable filter module without requiring replacement of the other components, including the cover and pan.
Another advantage of the invention is that the filter module can be detached and separated from the pan and cover without having to remove the cover from the pan, thereby simplifying and reducing the cost and labor involved in replacing a spent filter module.
Another advantage of the invention is that the cover mounts with a snap-fit connection to the oil pan while still enabling removal and replacement of the filter module without removal of the cover, simplifying the manufacture and serviceability of oil reservoirs.